Adnan Menderes

Adnan Menderes (1899-17 September 1961) was Prime Minister of Turkey from 22 May 1950 to 27 May 1960, succeeding Semsettin Gunaltay and preceding Cemal Gursel. He was a member of the Democrat Party of Turkey.

Biography
Adnan Menderes was born in Kocarli, Aydin Province, Ottoman Empire in 1899, and he practiced as a lawyer until 1932, when he became a representative for the Republican People's Party in the Grand National Council. There, he became a cautious critic of President Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. On 7 December 1945, he co-founded the Demcorat Party of Turkey, which won the elections of 1950. He brought Turkey into NATO and, amidst great controversy, accepted the independence of Cyprus in 1959. He pushed hard for economic and bureaucratic reform. Many of these policies offended entrenched interests, while a severe economic crisis lost him the support oof Parliament and the people. He continued to govern regardless, harassing the opposition. He was deposed by the army, sentenced to death for violating the constitution, and hanged on 17 September 1961.